New Beat
by ct2191
Summary: After a relatively crime free few months grips the officers of Sun Hill, boredom takes hold of the nick. However after a attachment to the California police department, they discover that the silence back home may not be what it seems.
1. Chapter 1: Long awaited ending

Every day on the beat brought new challenges and new goals, but nothing Sun Hill police station wasn't prepared for, or hadn't seen before. This was because they were a group of highly trained officers, and had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that pretty much all the crimes they dealt with were drunken brawls or petty robberies nowadays. That didn't mean anything. Why on earth would it?

Everyone was bored. Jack had been doing his best to get hold of something, _anything, _for them to handle but there was nothing that couldn't be cleared up by a different station or handled in less than a day. Jo and the rest of C.I.D were, for the first time in their lives, paperwork free. This on its own is a rare, if not unheard of occurrence, but couple that with the fact that there was literally no one in their cells, and you know something's up.

You don't get to become a copper by sitting around at a desk all day reading case notes, or walking around all day twirling a baton between your fingers. No, you got there through guts, determination and the good old fashioned copper's instinct in the case of PC Sally Armstrong.

But she wasn't the only one expecting some kind of attack or a sudden riot to break out, or even something more sinister such as a load of killings, in fact most of the nick was expecting _something _to happen. It had to, didn't it? The entirety of the underworld could not just pack up and move to pastures new, could it?

These were the exact thoughts running through Sally's head as she headed through the cast iron gates on a nippy Monday morning.

…

As Sally walked slowly across the asphalt in her usual attire, she found herself wondering if she would even have a job in the coming weeks if this kept up. Nothing had happened in three months. Nothing apart from drunken brawls anyway. After separating the people in question, that was just a whole load of paperwork. Sally did _not_ become a cop to sit on her ass and write out endless streams of paperwork. If she wanted to do that she could have stayed at the desk job she once had.

She sighed slightly as she came towards the automatic doors, which opened with a gentle hiss. As she crossed the threshold she nodded towards Millie, who was sitting at reception toying with her wedding ring. Millie smiled and nodded back.

Ever since she and Rachel had gotten hitched, she had been like another version of Sally, confident, and not afraid to go against a superior officer or use her rapidly developing copper's instinct. Sally smiled slightly as she thought back to the civil union she had watched along with the rest of the nick, everyone minus max for some unknown reason was happy for them, with most of the women crying and a couple of the men too.

Sally walked slowly into the locker room and trudged over to her locker, grinning at Rachel who was wearing a satisfied but tired expression on her face.

"What's up? Not enough sleep lately, Sarge?" Sally called and with an amused expression on her face added, "You and Millie have a _good _time last night?"

"Something like that…" Mumbled Rachel as she rubbed her eyes with her knuckles. "I'm missing the times were I got a full night's sleep."

"Well that's the fun of being newlyweds I guess. Cheer up, it's not like you need to be awake to do this job anymore." Sally sad pointedly.

"Fair point." Replied Rachel as she walked over to the door. "See you in the morning briefing slash pep talk."

"'k." Sally replied just as the door swung shut behind Rachel.

As Sally bundled her jacket into her locker and checked her makeup in the nearby mirror, she noted the footsteps coming up behind her. Sally jumped slightly at the shoulder on her hand, but smiled nonetheless at the person it belonged to.

"Mornin' Beth"

"Hey. You think we're actually going to get something to do today?" Asked Beth, the bored tone in her voice reflecting exactly how Sally felt.

"Who knows?" Sally replied as she turned around to face the officer. "They night as well give us the next year off, or call us in when they need us to stop drunks from smashing windows."

Beth gave a hollow laugh. "Yeah…"

Sally turned around again and grabbed her bullet proof jacket, shrugging it up over her shoulders and zipping it up. As she checked her equipment she nodded at the door.

"You ready?" She asked Beth who was applying more lipstick.

"I guess. It's not like I have to be ready for anything in particular."

…

As Sally and Beth entered the meeting room they immediately noticed something was different. The room appeared to be charged with excitement, even Rachel was alert, though that might have had something to do with Millie sitting next to her. Several officers appeared to be bouncing on their chairs like children with excitement, while others stared opened mouthed at Gina and Jack, who were standing next to each other beside the projector at the front of the room.

Sally also noted that every single officer in the room appeared to be crammed into the room.

"What's going on?" Beth and Sally asked simultaneously.

"A group of officers are being attached to program we are running with the Californian police department." Gina said, motioning them both to chairs.

"How do you mean 'attached?'" Sally asked as she and Beth took a seat next to Tony. "And what program?"

"A group of officers is being sent over to California on an all expenses paid trip for a month, so that the Californian police department can learn how we do things over here." Jack replied.

"Why don't they come over here?" Beth asked pointedly.

"Because the other boroughs don't have room and taking officers from the CPD over to here would stretch them to breaking point, they are short staffed as it is." Replied Gina.

"So who's going?" Millie asked, staring at Gina and Jack with excitement.

"We are going to be sending Sally, Rachel, Beth, Millie, Max, Smithy, myself and Tony over." Gina replied. "But I must warn you, we will be required to carry a gun with you at all times. We are going to be taking shooting lessons when we get over there."

"Why?" Sally asked.

"It's the law. All officers must carry weapons." Jack replied.

"We set off to the airport in a coach at 7am tomorrow morning. You have today to get ready. Alright you lot, shift!"

There was a screeching of chair legs on the floor as everyone got up, and several disgruntled people muttering about how they should be the ones to go. Just as Sally made to leave Smithy grabbed her arm.

"PC Armstrong, I trust that you will keep yourself in check while you are over there?" Smithy muttered, staring at her with a piercing gaze.

"When do I not?" She replied, pulling out of his grip and running to catch up with Beth.


	2. Chapter 2: Living comfortably in fear

The next morning came around fast, and before Sally knew it she was dragging trolley into the back of a coach outside the main gates of the station. After several heaves to get it off of the ground, she finally managed to bundle it into the back of the awaiting coach and climb on. She took a seat next to Beth behind Gina, who was busy looking at the California police department's website.

"How long till we leave?" Sally asked.

"I don't know" Beth replied in a irritated voice. "But hopefully the sound of the engines will cover up the sound of those two kissing."

Beth jerked a finger behind her, and when Sally looked all she could see was the back of Rachel with Millie's arms draped around her shoulders as loud kissing sounds travelled all round the coach. On a hunch Sally turned to where Max was sitting, and as she expected he was turned to the window with his hands covering his ears like a child. Sally shuffled back around in her seat to Beth.

"What's Max's problem with them anyway?" Sally asked her.

"Hm? Oh you mean Millie and Rachel? Max has fancied Millie for as long as I remember. That's why he was looking so mad at the wedding."

"That explains a lot." Sally said, turning around to look at him again.

Just as she turned, Gina stood up and clapped her hands.

"Alright everyone, can I have your attention please?" Gina asked, directing this in particular at Millie and Rachel, who broke apart immediately. "Can all of you please makes sure that your seatbelts are done up and if you get motion sickness please take your tablets, we are leaving now."

Sally cringed slightly at the flirtatious talk from Millie and Rachel behind her before fastening her seatbelt and turning to Beth, who was reading the latest issue of _OK! _Magazine.

"Are you seriously going to spend the last few hours of being in the UK for an entire month reading celeb gossip crap?"

"Yep!"

…

After a particularly long argument between Gina and one of the staff on the plane, who had informed them that their luggage had been misplaced and they would have to board a later plane, they were settling into their seats for the next few hours and chatting away merrily, well all expect Max, who was glowering at Millie and Rachel who were kissing once again. Their luggage was going to be flown over on the next flight, and then delivered to their hotel.

Sally turned to Beth once more, and sighed exasperatedly at the 5th gossip magazine she came to face.

"Can we talk for a bit, please?" Begged Sally.

"Ok." Beth replied, putting the magazine down. "How long to do you think it will be before Max makes a move on Millie?"

Sally sighed. "He might not. And if he does I will punch his lights out. You remember how long it took me to get those two together?"

"Yeah, nearly half a year of you playing matchmaker. I think he's going to though. Look at the way he's staring at Rachel."

"Good point." Sally said as she turned to face him. Max was staring at Rachel as though she had just insulted his mother. "Why does he have to be such a bastard?"

"I don't know. There's a rumour going around back home that he's an addict." Beth replied as they stared at him.

"I heard that. You think it's true?"

"Maybe."

…

After 8 hours on a plane they were transported by another coach to a posh looking hotel with a large white sign which read "H_otel Martinez: Voted cleanest hotel in all of California three years running." _There was also a list below of the dates it had won.

"Hey look." Sally said, pointing at the sign. "It didn't win this year."

"The contest is still going on." Said a gentleman who stood in front of the sign with a blue uniform. "I have been requested to show you to your rooms, and inform you that you will have free run of the hotel tonight to get acquainted with everything, then we will escort you to a shooting range tomorrow morning."

"..Right." sally replied, staring at the man in front of her.

He had to be one of the shortest people Sally had ever met, definitely less than five feet tall. Even Gina towered over him, which is saying something. Sally cringed slightly at the kissing sounds which were coming from Millie and Rachel's direction and turned to Beth, who looked like someone who was about to explode from laughter at the sounds.

"If you'll kindly follow me…" The man said, after clearing his throat slightly at the site of the two women kissing.

Everyone trudged towards the main entrance of the hotel, which reminded Sally slightly of Buckingham palace, mostly because of it's age. The hotel looked as if it was a hundred years old.

As they walked through the main doors of the hotel, a doorman handed the porter a series of cards which Sally presumed were their room keys. After he had handed them over the man gestured the group to follow him into a lift, which took them to the third floor. They walked through a maze of corridors and doors before ending up in a extremely long corridor with five room keys. Their names had already been slotted into the small frames on each of the doors, and as the man walked down the corridor with them he called out their names.

"…Millie and Rachel…"

"Gina…"

"Tony, Max and Dale…"

"_It's Smithy!"_

"And finally…. Sally and Beth."

Sally nodded thanks as the porter handed over two rooms keys and left waited patiently down the end of the corridor for them all to finish checking their rooms. When Sally slotted the card into the reader and the door swung open she was pleasantly surprised to find two 4 poster beds set at opposite ends of the room along with a large 40" flat screen TV and two large comfortable looking sofas set around it. There were complimentary mints on the pillows and heavy looking curtains surrounding the windows.

"Wow… Well the certainly pulled out all the stops for us, didn't they?" Beth noted as she checked the two ensuite bathrooms.

"Yeah… and there was me expecting some run down shack with cobwebs and a bed that makes a stone floor look comfortable!" Replied Sally as she jumped onto one of the beds.

…

The tours around the rest of the hotel took most of the afternoon, and by the time they had all retired to their respective rooms they found their luggage waiting for them in a neat pile in the centre of the room. Sally was sitting on her bed with her laptop which she had bought along for the ride, and after getting the Wi-fi password for the hotel she was researching the CPD. Beth was lying on her bed with yet another gossip magazine.

"Have you ever held a gun before?" She asked nervously after several minutes.

"Apart from a gun which was evidence, no." Sally replied, casting her laptop onto the pillow beside her. "You a bit nervous?"

"A little. Are we going to have to shoot people?" Beth asked with an unnerved edge to her voice.

"No. It's just the law: all officers must carry a gun. California has one of the highest rates of gun crime in America so I think that's why. I don't think we'll have to use it, it's just there as a warning."

"I hope you're right…" Beth mumbled.

"Beth for the first three days we are going to be accompanied by someone from the CPD while we attend shouts. And since they know were not used to having guns shoved in our faces all the time, I think they'll go easy on us."


End file.
